


Moving Day

by flippyspoon



Series: Modern and Interesting: Drabbles and Ficlets [16]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 08:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2185362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flippyspoon/pseuds/flippyspoon





	Moving Day

Thomas hated moving.  In fact, hate was much too weak a word for Thomas’s thoughts on moving, even on the best of days.  And this was not the best of days.  The moving company had sent only two movers instead of the four he’d requested.  Thomas lit yet another cigarette and decided he’d rather have a root canal with a rusted fork than deal with moving.  He stood, tapping his foot, in his soon to be former and too-small kitchen.  The movers, who he’d inwardly dubbed Stan and Ollie, were busy arguing over how to get his sofa to fit through the corridor and around two corners.  They were going to break his dishes, Thomas just knew it.  He took a long drag and rubbed an aching temple.

"Hey!"  Jimmy appeared from the bedroom and bounded past the movers to hover in the doorway of the kitchen, bouncing on his toes.  He was humming some inane pop song and he’d put too much product in his hair again- Thomas hated when he did that.  He liked to fluff Jimmy’s hair in his fingers and he didn’t like all that junk getting in the way.  Jimmy glanced over his shoulder at the couch.  "I thought that thing came apart like a futon? Aren’t you gettin’ rid of it anyway?"

"No, it doesn’t, I told you that," Thomas said.  But he was distracted as he glared at the movers who were lifting the couch.

"No you didn’t," Jimmy said, looking at him funny.  "I just thought when-"

"We can’t get one now.  We can’t do everything  _now_  and we need a couch don’t we?”  He snapped at Jimmy, his fingers clamped around his cig.

"Yeah…"  Jimmy said, hesitant.  "Just don’t see why you’d go to the trouble of havin’ it moved if we’re gettin’ rid of it…  Have you eaten?"

"Would ya stop mothering me?"

"I’m just asking," Jimmy said, narrowing his eyes.  "Would you eat an energy bar or something?"

"I’ve packed the food," Thomas grumbled.

"I’ll go down to the corner and get us some gyros-"

"Will you leave it alone!"  Thomas felt as if every muscle in his body was clenched.

But not in the good way.

Jimmy ducked his head and scowled.  ”Right. I’ll just…pick up a box then.”  But as he walked away, he mumbled, “You’re rubbish when you’re hungry.”

Thomas and Jimmy had spent months picking out the best possible flat for their price range.  Given a bit of time and objectivity Thomas might be able to admit that he had been less than pleasant through the whole process.

"Don’t think about the bother of it," Jimmy had said in a low voice as he nuzzled Thomas’s ear while they looked over Craigslist ads.  "Think of how you won’t have to take the tube for twenty minutes and hike up three flights to see me when I want you to sit on my face."

Things like that had gotten Thomas through.  

But moving day was another matter.

"Don’t move anything heavy," Thomas said quickly, and seeing Jimmy’s expression, he shut his eyes and sighed.

Few things aggravated Jimmy more than implying he wasn’t strong.

"I mean you ought to use a dolly-"

"I can manage!"  Jimmy said, screwing up his mouth in a most unattractive way.  Normally Thomas found that face oddly cute but at the moment it seemed unaccountably annoying.

"Would you listen to one word I say!"  Thomas barked.

"Stop shouting at me!"  Jimmy stomped his foot.  He took a breath.  "Look…I know this stresses you out-"

"Don’t patronize me," Thomas said.

"I’m not-"

The movers came back through and Jimmy made a choking noise of discontent and crossed his arms.

"Thought you were going to get a box," Thomas said, putting out his spent cigarette and lighting another.

"You just said-"

"Well, get a dolly!"

But the movers had already loaded up the dolly so Jimmy squatted to lift a box of dishes.

"No, not that one!" Thomas said so shrilly that Jimmy jerked and nearly dropped it.  "CAREFUL! WOULD YOU STOP TRYING TO HELP AND JUST GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"I SAID STOP SHOUTING AT ME!" Jimmy set the box down again, nearly dropping it.  

"BE CAREFUL!"

"I’M BEING BLOODY CAREFUL, YOU STUPID BUGGER, YOU WRAPPED EVERYTHING IN TWENTY LAYERS OF NEWSPAPER! STOP SHOUTING AT ME AND EAT SOMETHING!"

"Why are you makin’ me move!"  Thomas felt himself slip right over the edge into babbling things he didn’t mean.  "It was all your idea! I hate moving and I like this place just fine!  I didn’t want to move!"

Had he been less distracted he would’ve seen the hurt in Jimmy eyes and the way his mouth opened in closed and the way he didn’t shout an angry response.  Instead he said softly, “You mean you don’t want to move in with me.”

"No." Thomas said, without a thought.  He puffed on his cigarette.  The movers had been more expensive than he’d thought they’d be.  And then they’d only sent two men instead of four. If they were expecting a good tip, they’d be sorely mistaken.

Jimmy nodded in an exaggerated manner and made for the door.  ”Right.  Right, you never said that before.”  His voice shook as he spoke.  ”Well, I’m goin’ down to the corner to get some gyros for lunch and you can do what you like.  This place has awful plumbing and the heat is nothin’ and you get sick every winter and besides that you call me every night we’re not together wishing you were with me but fine. Ought to tell the manager if you don’t want to leave then. Whatever.  It’s fine.  I’ll just…I can get another roommate for the place then since I’m already moved in, I don’t care.”  Thomas blinked at him.  The flat tone of Jimmy’s voice made his blood boil.  ”I love you but go fuck yourself, Thomas.”  Jimmy slammed the door so hard it hurt Thomas’s ears.

Thomas remained smoking and stewing in the kitchen for a good ten minutes, as the movers continued to drag his things out to their truck.  Only when they had finished with the living room did he start to come to his senses and realize he’d been acting like an utter bastard to the one person he’d fallen for who’d miraculously fallen for him and who made him happier than he’d thought was possible.

Truly, he’d done nothing but bite at Jimmy since they’d decided to move in together.  Why though?  He hated moving, true.  But he’d dreamed for ages of moving in with Jimmy, even if Jimmy was a little messier than he was and enjoyed trashy television and pop music and smoking weed now and then.  Because on the other hand Thomas rather liked tidying Jimmy’s room when he was over as Jimmy lay naked on the bed, amused and leaning on his elbow, muttering fantasies about fucking his house boy.  Thomas rather liked making hateful comments about the mindless subjects of Jimmy’s trashy television shows because Jimmy didn’t seem to mind that either- he only laughed his arse off, choking on cigarette smoke until he’d put it his fag out and rest his head in Thomas’s lap.  He rather liked the way Jimmy danced to his silly pop music (and just as often something decent like the The Rolling Stones).  He even rather liked smoking weed occasionally because it relaxed him and Jimmy claimed he was adorable when he was high and threatened to get it on video someday.

Thomas supposed the thought of sharing his life in such a substantial way with someone also meant giving up some measure of control.

Thomas did not enjoy losing control of…anything.

He rubbed his temples and shook his head.  Why Jimmy wanted to move in with him, he had no idea.  Not after how he’d been acting.

"Bugger," Thomas muttered.  He also realized that Jimmy hadn’t yet texted him any further ‘fuck off’s in the last ten minutes which was uncharacteristic when they were fighting and possibly a bad sign.  "Bugger!"  Thomas dashed out of the apartment, his heart racing.  He half expected to find Jimmy nowhere. Jimmy would leave him.  Like the others.  Except this time it would be entirely his fault- he’d have driven away the best thing in his life.

"Bugger bugger bugger…"

He shoved his way past the movers in the corridor, down a flight of the stairs, and out the door to see Jimmy hunched over, sitting on the low wall in front of the flat.  Thomas took a breath, relieved, but still half-expecting a coldly flat break-up speech.  He trotted down the steps and came around to face Jimmy, whose eyes were red and raw.  He was holding an uneaten gyro in his hands and there was a paper bag next to him on the wall.  Thomas sighed and sat beside him.

"Oh love, I’m so sorry," Thomas said.

"Bastard," Jimmy muttered.

"Yeah," Thomas said, nodding.

"Did you mean it?"

"No!" Thomas said quickly.  He scooted closer to Jimmy and took his gyro away to stuff it back in the bag.  He took Jimmy by the shoulders to face him.

"Get away!  Get away, ya bastard!"  Jimmy pushed at him but Thomas wouldn’t let go.  He knelt on the ground in front of him.   Jimmy was still crying and he rubbed his eyes.  It must’ve been torture for him- Jimmy hated few things more than crying in front of anyone.  "I hate you!"

"I didn’t mean it!" Thomas said, squeezing Jimmy’s shoulders.  "Jimmy, I swear I didn’t mean it.  I’ve been awful to ya.  Of course, I want to move in-"

"No, ya don’t, you think I’m stupid and childish and you only like me for how I look-"

"No, no that again," Thomas said.  "We’ve been through that."  He held Jimmy’s head between his palms, stroking tears away with his thumbs.  "I love you.  I love you, truly.  Not ‘cause of how you look. You make me laugh.  You pretend to like my cooking.  You drag me out to have fun when I think I don’t want to but I always end up having a wonderful time.  Because I’m with you."  He kissed Jimmy’s salty lips.  "You see the good in me that no one else sees.  I love you for it." He rested his forehead against Jimmy’s.  He felt Jimmy relax but he shuddered once and sniffed.  "And you always know when I need to eat.  I  _love_  you.  Can I please still move in?  If I haven’t ruined everything, that is?”

Jimmy pushed him gently back and gave him a long look.  ”I know you’ve been terrible because you don’t like anyone else havin’ a say.  I get a say now, ya know.”

"I know," Thomas said, nodding.  "I’ll just have to learn to live with it."

"Alright," Jimmy said.  Thomas saw him trying to look serious but his mouth cracked into a stubbornly brilliant grin.  "But you’ve got to watch The Voice with me and be as mean as possible."

"Oh, that’s pretty mean, that is," Thomas said dryly.

Jimmy kissed him wetly three times.  ”Yeah, it’s wonderful mean!”

Thomas tousled Jimmy’s hair and frowned when his hand came away greasy.  ”Got a napkin?”  He sat on the wall again and Jimmy dug into the bag. 

"Yeah," Jimmy said, "and a gyro for ya, will you eat it?"

"Yeah, yeah."  Thomas said, smiling easily.  Jimmy handed him his food and a napkin.

"Grumpy bugger," Jimmy said, nudging his side.


End file.
